Yarn conditioning processes and compositions therefor



Patented Apr. 4, 1939 UNITED STATES YARN CONDITIONING PROCESSE ANDCOMPOSITIONS THEREFOR Joseph B. Dickey and James G. McNally, Rochester,N. Y., assignors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., acorporation of New Jersey No Drawing.

Application November 26, 1937,

Serial No. 176,686

'18 Claims.

This invention relates to the conditioning of textile yarns and. moreparticularly to the conditioning of filaments and yarns composed oforganic derivatives of cellulose such as cellulose acetate, celluloseacetate propionate,- cellulose acetate butyrate, etc., to render themmore amenable to textile operatipns such as knitting and the like.

As is well known in the manufacture of yarns, particularly thosecomposed of or containing cellulose organic derivatives, it is'necessaryto treat the yarn in order to reduce the tendency toward breakage of theindividual filaments or fibers when they are subjected tovarious'mechanical strains and to lubricate the yarn in order tofacilitate handling in such operations as spinning, twisting, windingand reeling. In addition, it is necessary to treat yarn to adapt it foruse as warp or filling or for the manufacture of various types ofknitted fabrics, In knitting, it is particularly important that the yarnbe soft and pliable in order that it may conform readily to the contourof the needles and thus produce'a closely knit fabric free from suchdefects as stitch distortion, pin holes? laddering;" and the like.

Heretofore it has been proposed to employ softening agents such aspolyhydric alcohols and 'similar agents as ingredients of yarnconditioning or lubricating formulas, generally in connection withmineral, animal or vegetable oils. It has been found, however, that mostof the known softening agents and the various formulas containing themhave "certain drawbacks, one of the most serious of which is high vaporpressure, and in some cases too drastic a solvent action on the yarn.Many of such agents possess slight or insuflicient solvent power for thelubricants with which they are used and it is accordingly neces- 40 saryto employ blending agents or emulsifying agents in order. to obtainoperable yarn treating formulas. In'addition, many of the knownsofteningand lubricating agents are insufliciently soluble in water topermit satisfactory removal by aqueous scour baths.

This invention has as its principal object to,

provide an entirely new class of yam conditioning agents which areparticularly adapted for the treatment of yarns composed of orcontaining organic derivatives of cellulose and capable of lubricating,softening and rendering such yarns more amenable to knitting and othertextile operations. A further and specific object is to provide a classof conditioning agents which augment or assist the lubricating action ofvarious lubricants when appuea to such yarns. A still further. object isto provide yarn softening and lubricating formulas which can be readilyremoved from the yarns by the usual scour baths. A still further objectis toprovide an improved method for the conditioning of yarns,particularly those composed of or containing organic derivatives ofcellulose such as cellulose acetate, whereby the yarn is rendered softand pliable and capable of employment in a variety of textile operationswhere complicated designs or stitches are employed. Another object is toprovide an improved type of yarn which is especially amenable to textileoperations including knitting, weaving, spinning and the like. Otherobjects will appear hereinafter.

These objects are accomplished by the following invention which, in itsbroader aspects, comprises the discovery that derivatives of glycerolhaving the general formula:

om-on-cri-om where R may be part of a cyclic system of carbon atoms(cyclohexyl, cyclopentyl, etc.) alkyl, aryl, alkylene or heterocyclicgroup, and R may be in. addition to R, hydrogen, may be used as yarnconditioning agents and particularly as softenihg agents, with orwithout the addition of animal, mineral, or vegetable oils in thetreatment of yarns composed of or containing organic. derivatives ofcellulose. We have found that these compounds have a slight solventand/or softening action on cellulose organic derivative yarns whichrenders su'ch yarns soft and pliable without at the same time having toodrastica solvent action thereon. a

In accordance with the invention these com- 7 pounds may be applieddirectlyto the yarn durcuts of yarn conditioning of lubricating formulasin conjunction with agents which function wholly or partially aslubricants.

In. the following examples and description we have set forth several ofthe preferred embodiments of our invention, but they are included lplicator roll. The amount of conditioning liquid may run from 4 to 25%by weight of the untreated yarn. If the yarn is intended for weaving;the same procedure may be followed, except that the amount ofconditioning agent added to 16 the yarn is only about 1 to 5%.

Example II.-A conditioning liquid is made up by mixing the followingingredients in the indicated proportions:

- Per cent. Butylidene glycerol 80 Olive oil 20 This composition isapplied to a cellulose acetate yarn intended for knitting in an amountrepregg senting 4 to 25% by weight of the untreated yarn.

The filaments or fibers treated as described above are quite soft andpliable and give excellent results in textile operations, especially inknitting.

Other examples of yarn conditioning composi.-, 9 tions which maybeapplied to various types of yarns, particularly those composed of orcontaining cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate propionate, celluloseacetate butyrate, and similar cellulose organic acid. esters inaccordance with our ina vention and which render such yarns soft andpliable and especially well adapted for various ifzexltile operations,particularly knitting, are as o ows:

Example III Per cent Pentylidine glycerol 80 Blown olive oil 20 ExampleIV 45 Per cent Hexylidine glycerol 8 Light mineral oil 20 Example V IPer cent Propylidine glycerol 70 Blown sperm oil 30 65 Example VI Percent Butylidine glycerol '70 Sperm oil 30 Example VII 60 Per. centBenzylidine glycerol 20 Blown neats-foot oil 30 Sulfonated olive oil 420 White mineral oil 10 65 Oleic acid 1o Ethanolamine 3 Water 'l gsample VIII 10 CsHr-C-CH} Y l I Per cent .cmon-cn-cm Spermoil 60 ExampleIX I Per cent Ethylidine glycerol 50 Blown sperm oil 30 Sulfonatedcastor oil 20 Example X.--A 20% solution of cellulose acetate in acetonein which is incorporated 1 to of the weight of the cellulose acetate oftetrahydrofuriurylidine glycerol, is extruded through fine orifices intoan evaporative atmosphere. The filaments thus produced are wound ortwisted and wound. Yarns produced from filaments thus prepared arepliable and suitable for knitting.

. Example XI Per cent Water I 80 Gelatin 5 Glycerol acetone 10Sulfonated olive oil 5 Example XII Per cent Water 80 Water solublecellulose ester 5 Cyclohexylidine glycerol 10 Diethylene glycol 5 in theyarn, etc.

If the conditioning agent is to be applied to the yarn after spinning,this may be done by bringing the yarn in contact with a wick, roll, orfelt wet therewith or the liquid may be applied by immersion, spray, orotherwise. a The particular point at which the liquid is applied mayvary. It may, for example, be applied to the yarn inside or outside thespinning cabinet, between the guide and the godet roll, between thegodet or other roll or guide and the point of winding and/or twisting.In some cases, the liquid may even be applied to the yarn after windingonto cones, spools, bobbins, or the like or by the so-called "bobbin tobobbin" method. In the case of staple' fiber manufacture, the liquid maybe applied to the yarn prior to, or after cutting into staple lengths.

The amount of the agent so employed will vary widely depending upon theresults desired, the specific nature of the material to which the agentis applied, the use to which the yarn is eventually to be put and otherfactors. For example, in a given case where a cellulose organic acidester yarn such as a yarn composed of cellulose acetate, is intended forknitting, about 4 to 25% or more by weight, based on the weight of thedry yarn, maybe satisfactory, while if vents, emulsifying agents,blending agents and,

the like, may be added within the scope of our invention. Likewise,various dyes or other coloring matter may be included in caseit is dedyetion of the conditioning agent, the amount of the agent may be adjustedas, for example, by reducing the amount of the agent and correspondinglyincreasing the amount of oil or other ingredient.

While we have described our invention with particular reference to thetreatment of yarns composed of organic derivatives of cellulose such ascellulose acetate, the conditioning agents and. formulas describedherein are applicable to the conditioning of many other types ofcellulose de-- rivative yarns such as those composed of or containingcellulose propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate, ethyl cellulose,methyl cellulose, benzyl cellulose and others, as well as to theconditioning of silk, wool, cotton, viscose and other natural orartificial materials.

The term yarn" as used herein claims is to be understood as including asingle filament, a plurality of filaments associated into the form of athread, either of high or low twist, single or multiple threadsassociated ortwisted together, composite threads composed of a mixtureof natural and artificial filaments or a composite thread formed bytwisting together individual strands of natural or artificial materials,as well as cut staple fibers produced from natural and/or artificialfilaments or threads and spun yarn produced from such staple fibers.

As indicated above, the yarn conditioning agents of our invention areexceptionally good solvents for a wide variety of mineral, animal andvegetable oils and their ability to act as lubricating assistants inconjunction with these oils when applied to such yams. In addition, dueto their solubility in water, they may be readily removed from yarns andfabrics by means of the usual aqueous scour baths. By employing the yarnconditioning agents and method of our invention as herein described, oneis enabled to obtain highly satisfactory results in the manufacture ofyarns and woven fabrics and .especially the production from these yarnsof closely knit fabrics free from defects such as pin holes, stitchdistortion, laddering and the like.

. What we claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. The process of conditioning yarn to render it\,more amenable totextile operations including knitting, weaving, spinning, and the likewhich comprises applying thereto a lubricating and softening compositioncontaining as its essential lubricating'and softening component aderivative of glycerol having the general formula:

where R and R'are substituents selected from the group consisting ofhydrogen, a cyclic system of carbon atoms (cyclohexyl, cyclopentyl,etc.) alkyl, aryl, alkyleneand heterocyclic groups.

2. The process of conditioning yarn composed of or containing organicderivatives of cellulose and in the to render it more amenable totextile operations including knitting, weaving, spinning, and the likewhich comprises applying thereto a lubricating and softening compositioncontaining as its essential lubricating and softening compound a.derivative of glycerol having the general formula:

CH:OHCH-CH:

where R and R are substituents selected from the group consisting ofhydrogen, a cyclic system of carbon atoms (cyclohexyl, cyclopentyl,etc.) alkyl, aryl, alkylene, and heterocyclic groups.

3. The process of conditioning yarn composed of or containing celluloseacetate to render it more amenable to textile operations includingknitting, weaving, spinning and the like, which comprises applyingthereto a lubricating and softoning composltioncontaining as itsessential lubricating and softening component a derivative of glycerolhaving the general vformula:

cmHoH--om t t l where R and R are substituents selected from the groupconsisting of hydrogen, a cyclic system of carbon atoms (cyclohexyl,cyclopentyl, etc.) alkyl, aryl, alkylene and heterocyclic groups.

4. The process of conditioning yarn composed of or containing celluloseacetate to render it more amenable to textile operations includingknitting, weaving, spinning, and the like, which comprises applyingthereto a lubricating and softening composition containing as itsessential lubricating and softening component a derivative of glycerolhaving the general formula:

more amenable to textile operations including knitting-weaving,spinning, and the like, which comprises applying thereto a lubricatingand softening composition containing as its essential lubricating andsoftening component CH| OHCH,--(I'JHa V CiHs CH:

7. The process of conditioning yarn composed of or containing celluloseacetateto render it more amenable to textile. operations includingknitting, weaving, spinning, and the like, which comprises applyingthereto a lubricating and soitening composition containing as itsessentiallubricating and softening component ethylidine glycerol.

8. A conditioning agent for rendering yarns more amenable to textileoperations including knitting, weaving, spinning, and the like whichcomprises a derivative of glycerol the general formula:

cmon-cH-cni where R and R. are substituents selected from the groupconsisting of hydrogen, a cyclic system of carbon atoms (cyclohexyl,cyclopentyl, etc.) alkyl, aryl, alkylene, and heterocyclic groups.

9. A conditioning agent for rendering yarns composed of or containingcellulose acetate more amenable to textile operations includingknitting,

weaving, spinning, and the like containing butylidine glycerol.

10. A conditioning. agent for rendering textile yarns composed of orcontaining cellulose acetate more amenable to textile operationsincluding,

d ing the general formula:

knitting, weaving, spinning, and the like containonion-ou ce,

11. A conditioning agent for rendering textile yarns composed of orcontaining cellulose acetate more amenable to textile operationsincluding knitting, weaving, spinning, and the like contain-- ingethylidine glycerol.

12. Textile yarn amenable to textile operations including knitting,weaving, spinning and the like impregnated with a lubricant containing aderivative of glycerol having the general formula:

n a -j a5 where R and R are substituents selected from the roupconsisting of hydrogen, a cyclic system of carbon atoms (cyclohexyl,cyclopentyl, etc.) alkyl, aryl, alkylene, andheterocyclic groups.

13. Textile yarn composed of or containing organic derivativesoicellulose amenable to textile operations including knitting, weaving,spine ning, and the like, impregnated with a conditioning agentcomprising a derivative'ofglycerol havcmon-cn-bm where R and R aresubstituents selected from Y the group consisting of hydrogen, a cyclicsystem of carbon atoms (cyclohexyl, cyclopentyl, etc.) alkyl, aryl,alkylene, and heterocyclic groups.

14. Textile yarn composed of or containing organic derivatives ofcellulose amenable to textile operations including knitting, weaving,spinning, and the like, impregnated with a. conditioning agentcomprising a derivative of glycerol having the general formula:

where .R and R are substituents selected from the group consisting ofhydrogen, a cyclic system of carbon atoms (cyclohexyl, cyclopentyl,etc.) aikyl, aryl, alkylene, and heterocyclic groups and a textilelubricant.

l5. Textile yarn composed of on containing cellulose acetate amenable totextile operations including knitting, weaving, spinning, and the like,impregnated with a'lubricant comprising butylidine glycerol.

16. Textile yarns composed of or containingcellulose acetate amenable totextile operations.

including knitting, weaving, spinning, and the like, impregnated with a.lubricant comprising 17. Textile yarns composed of or containing .whereR is an organic radical selected from the roup consisting. of a cyclicsystem of carbon atoms (cyclohexyl, cyclopentyl, etc.), alkyl, aryl,

alkylene, and heterocycllc groups, and R1 is a substituent selected fromthe group consisting of hydrogen, a cyclic system of carbon atoms(cyclohexyl, cyclopentyl, etc.) alkyl, aryl, alkylene and heterocyclicgroups, and a textile lubricating oil.

JAMES G. MCNALLY. JOSEPH B. DICQEY.

